Six Taranaki herds that had been infected with bovine tuberculosis are now showing no signs of the disease.
The results from the latest round of testing by TBfree New Zealand are the first step towards the farmers having their herds officially declared clear.
TBfree New Zealand national disease control manager Kevin Crews says testing will continue until the organisation is confident the herds are free of the infection.
Mr Crews says an increased testing regime for cattle and deer will remain in place near Inglewood and Opunake for some time and wild animal surveys will also continue.
To date, testing on the local possum population hasn't revealed any signs of TB.
